(no subject)

[timelets]

Most likely, the next generation of intellectuals and bureaucrats in Russia will be children of immigrants from Central Asia. They are motivated to study hard to compete for white collar jobs. I remember seeing their test scores - they looked quite impressive.

At the same time, successful native Russian kids with no political or business connections (блат) will chose emigration over a suffocating life under an autocratic regime. The much despised slogan "Russia is not Europe" has a good chance to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.